Postoperative acute psychological complications following dental procedures under general anesthesia in uncooperative children.

Background: To ensure comprehensive dental treatment under general anesthesia(GA) is a viable option, postoperative complications must be minimized. This study investigates the incidence and determinants of acute psychological complications following comprehensive dental treatment under general anesthesia in uncooperative children.

Materials and methods: This study included 71 healthy children aged 5 to 10 years who exhibited uncooperative behavior during dental examinations. All participants received parental consent. Data was collected using a checklist encompassing demographic information, treatment details, physical complications, and psychological complications. The Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale faces version (MCDAS_f) questionnaire was administered pre-operatively and five days post-operatively.

Results: The first day exhibited the most pronounced physical and psychological complications. While the most physical complications had diminished by the fifth day, the psychological effects remained permanent. Tooth extraction was associated with a statistically significant impact on fear of being left alone(P < 0.001), unspecified fear (P = 0.001), nyctophobia (P = 0.001), and excessive crying(P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Psychological complications persisted for a longer period compared to physical complications. The number of extracted teeth under GA had a significant influence on children's fear.